This invention relates generally to a shatter resistant display system, and more particularly to a shatter resistant flat panel display and method for producing the same.
Flat panel liquid crystal (LCD) displays are frequently being used as computer displays to display an image of data to a user especially where there are size and weight concerns. Flat panel displays weigh less and are smaller than conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. For example, a flat panel display may be used in aircraft to display important data, such as a radar map, to a pilot of the aircraft. In such applications, it is desirable to increase the resistance of the flat panel LCD to shattering and damage. A flat panel LCD typically does not have much protection from damage, and flat panel displays are expensive.
Flat panel displays may also be attached to a touch screen so that a single display system may display data to the user as well as accept input selections from the user based on the displayed data. For these display systems with a touch screen attached to the flat panel display, it is also desirable to protect the flat panel display from damage. In addition, if the touch screen, which is typically manufactured out of glass, shatters, the flat panel display may be damaged by the shards of shattered glass from the touch screen. Therefore, it is also desirable to protect the flat panel display from damage that may be caused by a shattered touch screen. Any device or method that is used to protect the flat panel display from damage, however, must have excellent optical clarity since any loss in clarity may adversely affect the brightness of the flat panel display.
The protection of the flat panel display in a display system that includes a touch screen is even more necessary since the glass used to form the touch screen is normally brittle due to the manufacturing process used to produce the touch screen. In particular, during the fabrication of the touch screen, the glass may be subjected to a high temperature processing step at approximately 425 .degree. C. which makes the glass more brittle than unprocessed glass. Due to the brittleness of the touch screen glass, the touch screen, when damaged, may explode into sharp glass shards which could easily penetrate and/or puncture the flat panel display. These sharp glass shards may also injure the user of the display system. In addition, these flat panel displays must also overcome a problem that is caused by the environment in which the flat panel displays operate.
One problem associated with the environment in which a display system with a flat panel display and a touch screen may operate, such as an aircraft cockpit, is the wide variations in temperature and humidity to which the flat panel display and the touch screen may be subjected. In particular, at the interface between the flat panel display and the touch screen, there is a small air gap which exists so that the display system is susceptible to fogging due to moisture and condensation between the flat panel display and the touch screen as the temperature and/or the humidity changes.
One conventional touch sensitive screen has a pouch attached to it and the pouch is filled with a gel. The gel helps protect the touch sensitive screen from damage. Another technique used with a convention CRT is a plastic film attached to the exterior of the CRT to protect the user of the CRT from glass shards if the CRT explodes. These conventional systems protect a touch screen from damage or the user of a CRT from damage, but do not protect a flat panel display from damage or protect a flat panel display underneath a touch screen from damage caused by the touch screen shattering. In addition, none of the conventional systems make a display system with a flat panel display and a touch screen that is insensitive to temperature and humidity changes.
Thus, there is a need for a shatter resistant flat panel display and method of manufacturing the same which avoid these and other problems of known display and methods, and it is to this end that the present invention is directed.